Since my 8 yr old son trains at Tinguinha Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy, my teammate/training partner, Kris Shaw, the owner of BJJ Legends Magazine asked me to review the new ‘Sprout’ kids gi from Submission FC. This is the same company that got some bad publicity in the past for their adult line of ‘Hemp’ gi not being made out of hemp (it was actually a cotton/polyester blend like this kids gi). I have owned one of those ‘Hemp’ gi for 2 years and even though it’s not made out of hemp as advertised, it’s one of my favorite gi in my collection. The reason why I mention this is since both gis are made from similar material, I will know how it will hold up over time. At least this time, they didn’t claim to have been made out of ‘sprouts’.

First Impression: When I took the gi out of the bag, both the gi jacket and the pant felt really soft. It didn’t feel super light but it wasn’t a heavy gi either (the weight of the gi compared to my son’s other gis which are Tatami Estillo and Vulkan Pro Kids). The gi pant seemed baggier than the other gis he owns. The black gi color my boy chose had green/yellow embroidery throughout the gi. On the gi jacket, the name of the company, Submission, was embroidered on both shoulders, name of the gi ‘Sprout’ was embroidered on the left front bottom and back bottom of the gi jacket. There was also couple small embroidery that resembled a bean sprout near the gi jacket vent openings. The gi pant had similar theme. Sprout embroidery near the knees, along with Sprout embroidery and cotton patch near the waist. All the stitching/draw string were done in green material which made for a sharp looking gi (even though my boy and I are Lakers fans, he didn’t mind wearing the Celtics colors).

As you can see, there is minimal shrinkage with the gi. I think this is due to the material being cotton/polyester blend. The gi was always washed in warm water and put in dryer at medium heat setting. Once you find the right size, you can wash/dry without fear of shrinking too much.

Review: My boy trained in this gi over 20 times in span of 3 months. He liked how soft it felt and how comfortable it was during training. He also liked how the gi looked. First thing out of his mouth when he saw the gi was “cool”. There were only couple things he wished different about the gi. He wished the gi pant were little slimmer fitting. He is a tall/skinny 8 yr old and pant looked baggy on him. Also, he wished the pant had elastic waist band like his Tatami Gi, instead of the draw string. As for the wear of the gi, after 20 washes, there was minimum fading on the black gi. I was told by a friend to soak the black gi in vinegar/water combo to reduce the fading but I got lazy and did not do it, however, as you can see in the picture, there is minimum fading of the gi. I also mentioned earlier that I have owned the Submission ‘Hemp’ gi for two years which is made of similar material. I know from experience that this material will last a long time and get even more comfortable as time passes.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a durable, great looking gi for your little one, I highly recommend this gi. You can wash/dry without fear of shrinking. Able to use the dryer without fear of shrinking is great since if you hang dry the gi, your little one will end up wearing a stiff gi, which isn’t too comfortable. Also, this gi will last a long time without showing much wear and tear.

Today, I’m reviewing the Submission FC Ranked rash guard; on their site, they note it’s made from “Recycled Polyester / Spandex blend” and is priced at $64.99.

Look:Upon opening the package and examining the rashie, I was immediately drawn to the design. The logo is featured prominently across the chest and again, much larger, down the center of the back. On top of that, the logo is also found throughout the product in a much smaller, nearly invisible font. Overall, it’s clean and understated. If you’re into large type-face and a clean design, you might like this.

From the site, Submission FC notes a “tear-away tag” – I noticed the tag to be overly large and made from what I can assume is some sort of recycled wood-pulp material. It was extra thin and looks very unique to this product. It lay well against the skin while I was wearing it and found no need to tear it away.

Craftsmanship:Out of the bag, I noticed some seams that weren’t lined up as well as some blue spotting along a couple of seam lines. I believe the latter may be a result of the sublimation process and found it to only affect aesthetics. However, one white thread actually came off at examination and, after only one roll – not one night of rolling, but the first roll of the evening – a long thread came loose from the seam and hung from the end of the sleeve. After one wash, it didn’t get any worse; I was able to cut the blown seam from the rash guard and continue unimpeded. That said, I was very disappointed with the overall craftsmanship of this product and hoped it would have been produced to higher standards.

Feel:I’m 5’7”, 170 lbs without the gi and asked for a medium. Pulling it over my head, I found it to be of a comfortable cut and provided the range of motion needed for training. Compared to some of my other rash guards, Submission FC’s felt thinner and breathed better while providing a similar level of comfort. Overall, I try to avoid long-sleeve rashies because I don’t like the lack of breathability that comes with them, but this was actually a pleasure to wear. As advertised, the product is extra-long and I had no issues with ride up during training.

Care:I tossed this rash guard in with the rest of my usual Jiu-Jitsu laundry and it was none the worse for wear. It suffered little to no shrink and, because the logos are sublimated, there was no design flake to speak of. However, the next time I wore the product, I noted a bit of scratch around the neck and wonder if this could be a sign of things to come based on the craftsmanship issues mentioned earlier.

Overall:If it weren’t for the poor craftsmanship of this rash guard, I would have no issue with it. It wears comfortably, is cut well and doesn’t shrink in the wash; the extra-long length doesn’t ride up after intense drilling and it is of a neat and clean design.

That said, craftsmanship is one of the most important aspects of purchasing any product and I wouldn’t recommend putting 65 hard-earned dollars down just to have seam issues the first time you wear your new rash guard. If Submission FC can get past these issues, fix their seams and ensure each product shipped is of the highest caliber, I can see this becoming a regular rash guard in my rotation.